Rabah Bitat Airport

Rabah Bitat Airport (IATA: AAE, ICAO: DABB), formerly known as Les Salines Airport, and popularly as El Mellah Airport is an international airport located 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Annaba, a city in Algeria.[1] It is named after Rabah Bitat, a president of Algeria (1978-1979).

Rabah Bitat Airport

El Mellah Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorEGSA-Constantine
ServesAnnaba, Algeria
Elevation AMSL5 m / 16 ft
Coordinates36°49′45″N 7°48′50″E
Map
AAE
Location of airport in Algeria
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 3,000 9,843 Asphalt
05/23 2,290 7,513 Asphalt
Statistics (2013)
Passengers466,053
Passenger change 12–1350.8%
Aircraft movements8,348
Movements change 12–1367.0%
Sources: AIP[1] DAFIF,[2][3] ACI's 2013 World Airport Traffic Report.

World War II

During World War II the airport was known as Bone Airfield, and was used by the German Luftwaffe. Later captured by the United States Army, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force in the Western Desert Campaign in 1942-1943.

In November 1942 the Allies invaded French Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch). The British airborne operations in North Africa started on 12 November, when the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment carried out the first battalion sized parachute drop, on Bone airfield. The remainder of the 1st Parachute Brigade arrived by sea the next day. Bone Airfield was the base of No. 111 Squadron RAF, a Supermarine Spitfire squadron under Squadron Leader Tony Bartley. One notable pilot to fly from Bone on occasion was Wing Commander Adrian Warburton who was an infrequent visitor after crash landing there on 15 November 1942.

Facilities

The Old terminal had an annual capacity of 500,000 passengers. In January 2016, the new international terminal had been opened. The New Terminal, which commissioning generates 300 jobs, has an expandable capacity of 700,000 passengers per year.[4]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Algérie[5]Algiers, Istanbul, Lyon, Marseille, Oran, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Paris–Orly
Tassili AirlinesAlgiers, El Oued, Hassi Messaoud

Statistics
  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Passengers
Total 416,022 435,451 349,008 348,503 360,121
Domestic 316,751 331,580 239,114 247,855 250,285
International 99,271 103,871 109,894 100,648 109,836
Freight
Total 302.750 357.270 329.148 328.180 359.217
Domestic 185.532 180.773 147.519 215.883 237.124
International 117.218 176.497 181.629 112.297 122.093
Aircraft movements
Total 9,060 6,468 6,071 5,995 6,203
Domestic 8,089 5,439 4,849 4,893 5,041
International 971 1,029 1,177 1,102 1,162

References
  1. AIP and Chart from Service d'Information Aéronautique - Algerie (in French)
  2. Airport information for DABB at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  3. Airport information for AAE / DABB at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006). Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  4. http://www.aps.dz/en/regions/11348-sellal-inaugurates-new-terminal-of-annaba
  5. "Air Algérie Route Map". Retrieved 22 January 2011.

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